A Lesson Is Learned
In brief: I should never walk away from our little decorative pond while adjusting its water level.
When the hot sun evaporates too much water from the pond, the circulating pump starts to gurgle unhappily, so I refill it with the garden hose whenever I notice.
I noticed the pond was low about 8:45 last night and, expecting it to get low today, I ran the hose. I finished cleaning up from our painting endeavor and checked the pond again five minutes later, which was still pretty low.
Then I meant to do some other little task... but I was headed for bed 20 minutes later when I realized the hose was still going. I ran outside and glimpsed wet reflections in unexpected places. Our pond was growing! I turned off the water, of course, but I don't actually know how this pond-thing is put together. I presume some sort of an impermeable liner retains the water and keeps it from rubbing noses with our foundation. I don't know where that hypothetical liner stops, but I was pretty certain the water had risen well past it.
All was not lost! I raced into the basement and grabbed an extension cord and our submersible sump pump off the shelf, then raced back outside. I plugged in the pump, then stumbled through the dark, muddy garden and until I could swing it into place on the far side of the pond. I got it situated spraying a fountain a couple feet out of the pond so it would flow downhill (away from the house, through the garden). I poked around a bit with my flashlight, trying to assess its progress. I went inside and put our leftover dinner away, trying to calm down, then went back outside to check on the pond. There was a bigger puddle in the garden, but the water was still too high, so I went back inside and ate a lime to calm myself down.
I went out again five minutes later when I heard a distressing chortle coming from the circulating pump; the pond was lower than when I'd started. I unplugged both pumps and ran the hose, then sat on the bench and waited. I plugged in the circulating pump after a while, and it was still gasping a little, so I waited a few more minutes before I shut off the hose. By that point, it was too dark to really tell what I was doing, so I gave up and went to bed.
Ah, the joys of being a home-owner. :-)
When the hot sun evaporates too much water from the pond, the circulating pump starts to gurgle unhappily, so I refill it with the garden hose whenever I notice.
I noticed the pond was low about 8:45 last night and, expecting it to get low today, I ran the hose. I finished cleaning up from our painting endeavor and checked the pond again five minutes later, which was still pretty low.
Then I meant to do some other little task... but I was headed for bed 20 minutes later when I realized the hose was still going. I ran outside and glimpsed wet reflections in unexpected places. Our pond was growing! I turned off the water, of course, but I don't actually know how this pond-thing is put together. I presume some sort of an impermeable liner retains the water and keeps it from rubbing noses with our foundation. I don't know where that hypothetical liner stops, but I was pretty certain the water had risen well past it.
All was not lost! I raced into the basement and grabbed an extension cord and our submersible sump pump off the shelf, then raced back outside. I plugged in the pump, then stumbled through the dark, muddy garden and until I could swing it into place on the far side of the pond. I got it situated spraying a fountain a couple feet out of the pond so it would flow downhill (away from the house, through the garden). I poked around a bit with my flashlight, trying to assess its progress. I went inside and put our leftover dinner away, trying to calm down, then went back outside to check on the pond. There was a bigger puddle in the garden, but the water was still too high, so I went back inside and ate a lime to calm myself down.
I went out again five minutes later when I heard a distressing chortle coming from the circulating pump; the pond was lower than when I'd started. I unplugged both pumps and ran the hose, then sat on the bench and waited. I plugged in the circulating pump after a while, and it was still gasping a little, so I waited a few more minutes before I shut off the hose. By that point, it was too dark to really tell what I was doing, so I gave up and went to bed.
Ah, the joys of being a home-owner. :-)